May 25, 2009
7 Essential Steps to Optimizing Website and Landing Pages
Your website landing pages will make or break your online presence. If you want your website to grab people’s attention and convert prospects into customers, your website copy needs to be top-notch. The right words will make the difference between a sale and a fail. Here are 7 steps you can take to optimize your website and landing pages to keep your goals on target and continually improve results. Evaluate and improve upon these factors one at a time in order to make your copy the best that it can be.
1. Tweak your headlines and sub-headlines.
Headlines and sub-headlines are critical to the success of your website. Headlines are what your prospects see first so they must grab their attention and allow them to determine whether the page is relevant to their needs. Visitors to your site will skim the headline and sub-headlines to decide whether they want to continue reading more of your copy. A headline that is worded well will entice visitors to go deeper.
2. Make sure the first mental image your copy gives off is powerful.
The first mental image of copy is generally a combination of the headline and the first few lines of the copy. Sometimes a picture or image may come into play in the first paragraph. Your copy will create a powerful mental image that converts visitors in just a few seconds if you choose the words and perspective.
3. Tell visitors what’s in it for them.
The backbone of any copy is its ability to communicate benefits. Put yourself in the shoes of your prospect, read your copy, and ask yourself, “What’s in it for me?” Make sure you talk to your readers about something that truly matters to them and speak in their language.
4. Take out the I, we, me, my
Make sure your copy is focused on your customers and not on you. If you use your own name too much or say “we” too many times, you risk coming across as self-centered. Simply replacing the “we” with “you” to make your copy customer-focused can increase your conversion rates dramatically.
5. Make your copy easy to digest
Avoid big blobs of text. People have very short attention spans online and tend to skim so make sure your content can be skimmed easily. Use plenty of short paragraphs and bullet points. Keep your copy concise. One question you should always ask yourself is, “Could I have said the same thing in a third of the words?”
6. Establish trust and credibility.
Why should your readers believe you anyway? Make sure you provide some credentials, examples of your achievements, and/or testimonials so readers have good reason to trust you and believe you.
7. Ensure that your calls to action are clear.
Your readers should know exactly what they are supposed to do after they read your copy so make sure there’s nothing left up in the air. Use persuasive wording to develop your calls to action.
Compelling landing pages are ultimately what will convert your prospects into customers. Even if you have droves of traffic arriving at your site, it means nothing if you can’t get them to complete the desired action. Consider all of these steps and apply them to the best of your abilities to create copy that gets your point across and increases conversions.
1. Tweak your headlines and sub-headlines.
Headlines and sub-headlines are critical to the success of your website. Headlines are what your prospects see first so they must grab their attention and allow them to determine whether the page is relevant to their needs. Visitors to your site will skim the headline and sub-headlines to decide whether they want to continue reading more of your copy. A headline that is worded well will entice visitors to go deeper.
2. Make sure the first mental image your copy gives off is powerful.
The first mental image of copy is generally a combination of the headline and the first few lines of the copy. Sometimes a picture or image may come into play in the first paragraph. Your copy will create a powerful mental image that converts visitors in just a few seconds if you choose the words and perspective.
3. Tell visitors what’s in it for them.
The backbone of any copy is its ability to communicate benefits. Put yourself in the shoes of your prospect, read your copy, and ask yourself, “What’s in it for me?” Make sure you talk to your readers about something that truly matters to them and speak in their language.
4. Take out the I, we, me, my
Make sure your copy is focused on your customers and not on you. If you use your own name too much or say “we” too many times, you risk coming across as self-centered. Simply replacing the “we” with “you” to make your copy customer-focused can increase your conversion rates dramatically.
5. Make your copy easy to digest
Avoid big blobs of text. People have very short attention spans online and tend to skim so make sure your content can be skimmed easily. Use plenty of short paragraphs and bullet points. Keep your copy concise. One question you should always ask yourself is, “Could I have said the same thing in a third of the words?”
6. Establish trust and credibility.
Why should your readers believe you anyway? Make sure you provide some credentials, examples of your achievements, and/or testimonials so readers have good reason to trust you and believe you.
7. Ensure that your calls to action are clear.
Your readers should know exactly what they are supposed to do after they read your copy so make sure there’s nothing left up in the air. Use persuasive wording to develop your calls to action.
Compelling landing pages are ultimately what will convert your prospects into customers. Even if you have droves of traffic arriving at your site, it means nothing if you can’t get them to complete the desired action. Consider all of these steps and apply them to the best of your abilities to create copy that gets your point across and increases conversions.
Labels: blogging, social_media
